The sun rises from the other side of the mountain behind us. Watching the sunrise is a little different here than it is on Tybee. The eastern clouds change colors from grey to pink to white as the sun casts its powerful rays over the mountain top and across the ocean white caps. This process starts before five o’clock am. Mornings are welcomed as I am sipping the most delicious Costa Rican coffee while watching the tropical world that surrounds me come alive. It’s worth getting up early and sacrificing a little sleep. The hundreds of species of birds chirping and singing just does something to my soul. In the distance I hear whistles, calls and songs of creatures making their existence known to anyone within earshot. A pair of toucans with their giant yellow bills are perched at the top of a tree without leaves. When I pull out my camera to snap a few pictures, they become camera shy and hop to a tree full of large green leaves as if trying to hide from the paparazzi. I still managed to get some great toucan pictures, but they’re in my big camera and I don’t have a way to put them on my phone for blogging at the moment. I promise to share them when I can. 

Further in the distance, there is constant white noise of the surf continually breaking on the shore. The home we are staying in is about 900 meters up a concrete and dirt road. Four wheel drive is strongly recommended for getting around this country. We are high enough on a mountain that I can see and hear all of this at once as my body and mind are in sensory overload. I am wearing my blue hucapoos tank top with neon pink logo and my cut off denim shorts, there is a slight chill in the air as we are still an hour from the sun being high enough to reach this side of the mountain.

Sean and I always find that when we come to Costa Rica, we think bigger thoughts and open our minds to new opportunities. It’s like all of the daily cares and routines of our normal life are on hold long enough to grasp a new concept.  Actually it’s not really a new idea or concept, because it still seems familiar but just that the noise around us falls away so that we may listen and receive in a fresh and new way. We seem to have a better perspective of some things that once seemed far off or unobtainable now seem like ripened fruit at our fingertips waiting to be plucked and eaten and savored.

Yesterday just after the sun crested the mountain we rolled down to the main coastal highway and enjoyed a typical Costa Rican breakfast at a small soda. Pinto y gallo (black beans and rice), fried plantains, eggs and toast, always tasty and gives enough energy to go several hours without needing to snack on junk food before lunch.

Since it is the green or rainy season here right now, it’s important to do whatever activities we want to do outside early in the day. Usually around 3 pm the storms roll in packed with inches of rainfall with them.

Our hosts, Kate and Eric have graciously extended their home and it’s wonderful amenities to us. Including the infinity pool with an ocean view. After our swim and relaxation time, we were treated to a fabulous homemade lunch of potatoes, zucchini, and grilled chicken wings. Then right on schedule the thunder and lightning rolled in with a daily dose of heavy rains.

We decided to go out and experience the rain as it is an integral part of the rainforest ecosystem. The girls had not yet seen Dominical, the quaint little surf town just up the road from where we are staying. Kyleigh and Baylie wanted to feel the wet sand in their toes. So we drove onto the beach (as you can do that here) while they got out and walked in the rain.

We made last minute plans to meet up with our surf instructor friend Jordy (whom we met when we were here in April) A few minutes after we finished up our ice cream and coffee, Jordy strolled in with his friend and business partner, Junior. We had heard some great stories about Junior, and it was a pleasure to meet him in person. Kate had told us that just the other day he had rescued a sloth that was stuck in the road from a flash flood.

It’s crazy how some things just come together at the right time and place. I have to give a little back story here for a minute. The last time we brought all of the kids to Costa Rica was seven years ago. We were traveling with my brother, Trip and his family. We had met a teenager here (through another crazy rabbit hole story) named Chris Deming. His family had moved here from the states. That was right around when Facebook was taking off and we later became friends on Facebook. Since then he had moved back to the states, grew up got married and now travels the world living life to the fullest. We saw on Facebook that he was in Costa Rica visiting family this week. Well as it happened, when we were walking out of the little cafe he and his sister just happened to be driving into town and recognized Sean. How crazy is that and what the heck are the chances?? He had not been here in over two years and we just happened to run into each other in the rain on a really dark evening. Anyways it was so awesome to catch up with him and his sister Sam. I’ve loved following their amazing and inspirational family through the years on Facebook. We met their family at a pivotal point in our lives when we began to question some of life’s purposes as well as how to pick up the pieces after one of life’s disappointing blows. It was through Chris via Facebook that he introduced us to Jordy. And we have in turn introduced Jordy to Eric and Kate. Now they are as close as family here helping each other getting their new businesses up and running. I say all of that to say this. The world becomes a much smaller neighborhood when you are open to meeting people that are put in your path for a reason and continue to nurture and build these relationships even from around the world with something as simple as social media.

We ended the evening sharing a pizza with some of our new friends as we were perched on bar stools around an outside pool bar as we talked through the night getting to each other better sharing our life stories.